Suspension group for motor vehicle, wheel group for motor vehicle, front end of a motor vehicle and motor vehicle thereof

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11046134-B2
Application number	US-201716465163-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 7, 2017
Priority date	Dec 7, 2016
Publication date	Jun 29, 2021
Grant date	Jun 29, 2021

Abstract

A suspension group for a motor vehicle, wherein said suspension group includes: a wheel guide, which extends along a longitudinal axis, which includes a wheel attachment for connection to a rotation pin of a wheel having a rotation axis orthogonal to said longitudinal axis, wherein the wheel guide extends between a first end and a second end, opposite the first end, a support arm functionally connected to the wheel guide respectively by means of: a first crank rotatably connected at said second end to the wheel guide and to the support arm; a second crank rotatably connected at said first end to the wheel guide and to the support arm, wherein the wheel guide elements, the support arm and the first and second crank define a suspension quadrilateral, wherein, between at least two of said elements chosen between the wheel guide, the support arm, the first and the second crank, a shock absorber group is interconnected in such a way that the shock absorber group varies its extension as the movement of the suspension quadrilateral varies.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A suspension group of a motorcycle, wherein said suspension group comprises:
a wheel guide, which extends along a longitudinal axis, which comprises a wheel attachment for connection to a rotation pin of a wheel having a rotation axis orthogonal to said longitudinal axis;
wherein the wheel guide extends between a first end and a second end, opposite the first end,
a support arm functionally connected to the wheel guide respectively by means of:
a first crank pivotally connected at said second end to the wheel guide and to the support arm; and
a second crank pivotally connected at said first end to the wheel guide and to the support arm;

wherein the wheel guide, the support arm and the first and second crank define a suspension quadrilateral;
wherein, between at least two of said elements chosen between the wheel guide, the support arm, the first and the second crank, a shock absorber group is interconnected such that the shock absorber group varies its extension when the movement of the suspension quadrilateral varies; and
wherein said suspension quadrilateral is contained within a volume delimited by a rim of said wheel.

2. A suspension group of a motorcycle according to claim 1 , wherein the shock absorber group is provided between said first crank and said second crank.

3. A suspension group of a motorcycle according to claim 1 , wherein the shock absorber group is provided between said first crank and said support arm.

4. A suspension group of a motorcycle according to claim 1 , wherein the shock absorber group is provided between said first crank and said wheel guide.

5. A suspension group of a motorcycle according to claim 1 , wherein the shock absorber group is provided between said second crank and said support arm.

6. A suspension group of a motorcycle according to claim 1 , wherein the shock absorber group is provided between said support arm and said wheel guide.

7. A suspension group of a motorcycle according to claim 1 , wherein said shock absorber group comprises resilient means and a damper.

8. A suspension group of a motorcycle according to claim 1 , wherein said shock absorber group is shaped so as to compress as the load on the wheel increases.

9. A suspension group of a motorcycle according to claim 1 , wherein said shock absorber group is shaped so as to extend as the load on the wheel increases.

10. A suspension group of a motorcycle according to claim 1 , wherein the first crank is rotatably connected at said second end, by means of a first hinge arranged on the wheel guide, and a second hinge arranged on the support arm, and wherein the second crank is pivotally connected at said first end, by means of a third hinge disposed on the support arm, and by means of a fourth hinge disposed on the wheel guide.

11. A suspension group of a motorcycle according to claim 1 , wherein the shock absorber group is arranged at least partially outside said volume.

12. A suspension group of a motorcycle according to claim 1 , wherein the shock absorber group is disposed completely outwardly or cantilevered with respect to the volume of said rim.

13. A suspension group of a motorcycle according to claim 7 , wherein the shock absorber group comprises only one damper, and first and second hinges of the first crank are rigid or interlocking such that the first crank acts as a torsion bar carrying out the function of said resilient means.

14. A suspension group of a motorcycle according to claim 12 , wherein the third and fourth hinges of the second crank are rigid or interlocking so that the second crank acts as a torsion bar carrying out the function of said resilient means.

15. A suspension group according to claim 1 , wherein the second crank has a dimensional relationship with respect to said first crank that defines a quadrilateral suspension configuration such that the instantaneous center of rotation converges substantially to infinity.

16. A suspension group according to claim 1 , wherein the second crank has a dimensional relationship with respect to said first crank that defines a quadrilateral suspension configuration such that the instantaneous center of rotation converges in a finite point from the side of said support arm.

17. A suspension group of a motorcycle according to claim 1 , wherein the wheel guide comprises a tubular jacket which defines a housing space, wherein the shock absorber group is housed at least partially in said housing space.

18. A wheel group of a motorcycle comprising a suspension group according to claim 1 .

19. A front end of a motorcycle that comprises:
a front end chassis,
a pair of front wheels kinematically connected to the front end chassis by means of a rolling articulated quadrilateral,
wherein said front end comprises, at each front wheel, a suspension group according to claim 1 .

20. A motorcycle comprising a drive wheel at the rear axle and a front end according to claim 19 .

Assignees

• Piaggio & C Spa

Inventors

• Raffaelli Andrea

Classifications

• B62K2005/001

  Suspension details for cycles with three or more main road wheels · CPC title

• B62K25/00

  Axle suspensions (for vehicles in general B60G) · CPC title

• B62K5/10

  with means for inwardly inclining the vehicle body on bends · CPC title

• B62K5/08

  with steering devices acting on two or more wheels · CPC title

• B62K5/027 Primary

  Motorcycles with three wheels (specially adapted for disabled riders B62K5/023) · CPC title